Retractable roofs on large domed sports stadiums and other large facilities are modern engineering marvels. A Folded Dome like Retractable Opening Structure and Method of the present invention emulate a simple umbrella to provide shelter from rain and sun, and the umbrella is retractable, yet light weight, strong, and compact. An umbrella in its simplicity has its canopy cantilever supported by ribs from its central pole, and the canopy is folded and unfurled from the central pole. The present invention, like an umbrella, opens and closes a retractable opening by folding and unfolding, or stretching and compressing a truncated flexible cone-like structure made of corrugated shell. But unlike an umbrella, the retractable opening of the present invention is an open truncated end of a truncated flexible cone-like structure, supported peripherally, expanded outward to open toward and contracted inward to close away from the retractable opening periphery, and leaving an unobstructed view area interior to the periphery.
A Folded Dome like Retractable Opening Structure of the present invention, enormous in size that may span an area equivalent to 700 feet in diameter, is particularly suitable for an expansive doomed retractable roof often found on a large domed sports stadium.